Apparatus for sinking and extracting tubing

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for sinking or extracting well tubing comprises a frame supporting a tower from which are suspended hydraulic jacks that in turn suspend a clamping collar for the tubing. The jacks serve to provide the vertical force for sinking or extracting the tubing; and in addition, the clamping collar is oscillated about its upright axis by means of a reciprocatory hydraulic motor carried on draft structure pivotally connected to the frame. The tower is adjustable as to its upright angle for vertical or inclined drilling and may be folded down for transport.

United States Patent 172] lnventor Henri Cales [56] References Cited Paris, France UNITED STATES PATENTS P 7323392 3,467,203 9/1969 Johnson 173/159 [22] Fled May Re21,616 11/1940 Johansen.... 173 140 [45] Patented Jan. 26, 1971 Assi nee Societe Francaise De Consruction De 2,516,182 7/1950 Bury 173/159X g 2,507,292 5/1950 Allard 175/170 Bennes Automatlques Benoto Paris, France FOREIGN PATENTS [32} Priority May 29, 1967 97,182 3/1961 Netherlands 173/164 [33] France Primary ExaminerErnest R. Purser [31 1 108,70 AttorneyYoung & Thompson [54] TUS FOR SINKING AND EXTRACTING ABSTRACT: Apparatus for sinking or extracting well tubing 3 Cl 4 D comprises a 'frame supportmg a tower from which are alms rawmg suspended hydraulic jacks that in turn suspend a clamping col- [52] U.S. Cl 173/159, lar for the tubing. The jacks serve to provide the vertical force 173/28, 254/29 for sinking or extracting the tubing; and in addition, the [51 Int. Cl E2lb 7/02, clamping collar is oscillated about its upright axis by means of E2lb 19/08 a reciprocatory hydraulic motor carried on draft structure [50] Field of Search 173/28, pivotally connected to the frame. The tower is adjustable as to 140, 152, 159,44; 175/19, 171, 189; 61/535, its upright angle for vertical or inclined drilling and may be 72.7; 254/29 folded down for transport.

saw 3 OF 3 I lnvenlar:

APPARATUS FOR SINIKING AND EXTRACTING TUBING The present invention relates to apparatus for sinking and extracting drilling tubing in any position whatsoever, not only for vertical drilling but also for inclined drilling.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus to impart to the tubing a partial rotation in opposite directions as well as to sink or extract the tubing, all of these movements being hydraulically controlled.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which may be used by itself and which may also be supported in any desired way, either on the ground or on lifting apparatus or drilling apparatus, and which may be transported on wheels or on caterpillar tracks.

According to the invention, the apparatus comprises a chassis constituted by side members and which terminates at one end in a linkage system, on which are mounted arms by which it is connected to the lifting apparatus or the like. On this chassis, by means of linkages, is mounted a bracket or tower disposed so as to be adjustable as to its inclination. This tower terminates upwardly in two heads carrying extracting jacks. These jacks effect the raising and lowering of a tightening collar. This collar, in turn, is suspended from the lifting jacks and is also connected by articulations to the body of a special type of jack. In effect, the cylinder of the special jack is alternately moved, its rod being secured at its two ends on the articulated arms of the apparatus, By the transformation of this alternating movement by the articulated system that connects it to the tightening collar, an alternate part-circular movement of the said collar is produced, permitting the manipulation of the drill tubing.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the arrangement of the chassis is such as to permit the placement of elements increasing the weight of the apparatus, so as to press on the drill tubing and facilitate its sinking, independently of the semirotative movement enjoyed by the tubing.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent form a consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is an elevational view of apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the jack for imparting semirotative movement; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing the sinking and extracting apparatus during transport.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the chassis or frame 1 of the ap paratus is constituted by side members 2 interconnected by a base plate, of any desired shape, defining a clear space 3 permitting placement of the chassis of the apparatus or its removal, without the necessity of raising the chassis from about drilling tubing already sunk in the ground.

The chassis is provided at its rear portion with ears 4 on which are articulated arms 5 by which the chassis is connected to a lifting or drilling apparatus, and inwardly disposed ears 6 on which is pivotally mounted a tower or bracket 7 of which the upright are strongly reinforced by diagonals so as to resist the large forces to which it is subjected. In addition, the chassis can be provided with Outriggers 8 and 9 (FIG. 2) and may be elongated in one direction by means of elements 10 and 11 which, by increasing the surface by which the apparatus rests on the ground, permit immobilizing the chassis by means of pins 12 extending therethrough.

The bracket 7 is arranged to be adjustable as to inclination by the insertion of pins in holes 13 through upright supports I4 secured to the front of the chassis l.

The upper portion of the bracket comprises two plates in the form of heads 15, on the inside of which are secured two extraction jacks 16 carried by two rotative axles 17.

The rods 18 of jacks are pivotally interconnected at their lower ends by two rotative axles I9 with a tightening collar 20 adapted to be constricted by hydraulic means (not shown).

In addition, the upper portion of the bracket 7 comprises guides 21 in two pieces so as to permit encompassing or freeing the drill tubing during emplacement or removal of the apparatus.

The collar 20 is constituted by a plurality of elements 22 disposed such that upon disconnecting one of the pivotal connections 23 between the elements 22, the collar may be completely removed from the drill tubing.

The clamping collar 20, suspended from the two extracting jacks I6, is connected to a yoke 24 carrying at one of its ends a sliding rod 25 that terminates in a head 26 articulated at 27 on the cylinder of a hydraulic jack 28 of a special type. Specifically, the piston rod 29 ofjack 28 is fixed at its two ends at 30 and 31 to the arms 5 of the apparatus and by virtue of this, the cylinder of the jack is alternately reciprocable. The rod 29 carries at its central portion a piston 32 (FIG. 3) provided with conventional seals.

The jack 28 and the extraction jacks 16 are actuated by a hydraulic mechanism 33 which may be carried by the drilling machine or by the crane or other apparatus to which the arms 5 are connected or which may be independent, as seen in the drawings, the hydraulic circuit being completed through a group of flexible conduits 34.

Guides 35, permitting the centering of the drill tubing in a chosen position, are mounted on chassis I for regulating the position of the clamping collar 20.

Adjustment devices 36 are provided between the chassis l and the arms 5, to permit regulating'the respective position of the arms and the chassis so that the chassis will rest flat on the ground no matter what the position of the crane or of the apparatus with which it is connected through arms 5.

For road transportation of the apparatus, an axle supported on a bed 38 having wheels 37 is secured under the chassis l; the bracket 7 is folded down; and the arms 5 are attached to the end of the draft vehicle.

The sinking and extracting device thus described and illustrated operates in the following manner:

The chassis being emplaced on the ground in the position shown in FIG. I and being connected by arms 5 to a drilling apparatus or lifting apparatus such as a crane, the collar 20 is clamped about the drill pipe. The jack 28 fed by the hydraulic mechanism 33, is actuated and the jack 28 automatically oscillates in such a manner that alternate back-and-forth movements of the cylinder of the jack 28 are produced on the piston rod 29, the sliding rod 25 moving the yoke 24 and this yoke in turn transmitting a movement of partial rotation to the drill tubing by means of collar 20.

The cylinder of jack 28 being free to reciprocate on the rod 29, the clamping collar 20 is driven in rotation according to the position of the extraction jack 16, the rod 25 correcting differences of length due to the conversion of the rectilinear movement of the jack 28 to partial rotation of the collar 20 and accommodating also to the differences of length according to whether the collar 20 is an upper position or a lower position.

When it is desired to sink the tubing by exerting pressure on the jacks I6, weights are placed either on the elements 10 and 11 of the chassis or on the Outriggers 8 and 9, these weights serving to add to the combined weight of the chassis and tower.

Extraction of tubing is effected by means of the jacks 16 which apply their force indirectly to the base plate of the chas- SIS.

When it is not necessary to exert strong extraction forces, as for example when the drill tubing is not sunk to great depth or is very small in diameter, the yoke 24 may be disconnected from the clamping collar, only the bracket 7 and the jack 16 being used for extraction.

To mount the sinking and extracting apparatus on wheels for transport, it is possible for example to use a tube length clamped in the collar and to raise the chassis l by the extraction jacks 16 which are actuated in a direction to push down on the tubing so as to raise the chassis l and permit the emplacement of the carriage elements comprising the wheels 37 and bed 38.

When maneuvering the jacks in a direction to collapse the apparatus, the chassis 1 can rest on the ground; the bracket 7 is uncoupled at 13, 14, and is folded down on the arms and a draft device 39, which serves to interconnect the arms 5 with the chassis of the crane or the drilling machine, may be raised and secured to the rear ofa truck. I

Of course, various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1. Apparatus for sinking and extracting tubing in the ground, comprising a frame, a clamping collar having an upright axis mounted on the frame, power means acting between the frame and the collar for raising and lowering the collar relative to the frame, a pair of arms pivotally interconnected to the frame for vertical swinging movement of the arms relative to the frame about a horizontal axis, a fixed piston rod extending between and secured to said arms a substantial distance from said horizontal axis, said piston rod having a piston thereon, a cylinder encompassing said piston and 4 7 piston rod, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said cylinder alternately on opposite side of said piston to oscillate said cylinder along said piston rod;and means interconnecting said collar and said cylinder for converting rectilinear oscillatory movementof said cylinder to rotate oscillatory movement of said clamping collar. 7 1

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said power means comprising upright jacks secured at their lower endsto the collar, and means mounting said jacks for vertical swinging movement about a horizontal axis at the upper ends of the jacks.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim I, said clamping collar comprising a plurality of members, means pivotally interconnecting said members for relative horizontal swinging movement about vertical axes, one of said interconnecting means being disconnectable to permit said members to be separated from each other to allow removal of the collar from the tubing. 

1. Apparatus for sinking and extracting tubing in the ground, comprising a frame, a clamping collar having an upright axis mounted on the frame, power means acting between the frame and the collar for raising and lowering the collar relative to the frame, a pair of arms pivotally interconnected to the frame for vertical swinging movement of the arms relative to the frame about a horizontal axis, a fixed piston rod extending between and secured to said arms a substantial distance from said horizontal axis, said piston rod having a piston thereon, a cylinder encompassing said piston and piston rod, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said cylinder alternately on opposite side of said piston to oscillate said cylinder along said piston rod, and means interconnecting said collar and said cylinder for converting rectilinear oscillatory movement of said cylinder to rotate oscillatory movement of said clamping collar.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said power means comprising upright jacks secured at their lower ends to the collar, and means mounting said jacks for vertical swinging movement about a horizontal axis at the upper ends of the jacks.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said clamping collar comprising a plurality of members, means pivotally interconnecting said members for relative horizontal swinging movement about vertical axes, one of said interconnecting means being disconnectable to permit said members to be separated from each other to allow removal of the collar from the tubing. 